


Mr. Lawrence's Piano

by ThePrincePeach



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Don't worry he just forgets to eat sometimes, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Other, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:35:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22438855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePrincePeach/pseuds/ThePrincePeach
Summary: “Ooh, it’s like a piano!” Susie cooed,  “/Tickling/ the ivories, haha!”“Sing us a song, Mr. Lawrence~” Norman added with a cheeky smile.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 36





	Mr. Lawrence's Piano

**Author's Note:**

> This is a tickle fic! It's shipping if you squint, but eh! Enjoy!

“You’re too skinny, you know that, right, Sammy?” 

“You overexaggerate.” 

Susie folded her arms over the windowsill and frowned slightly, watching the musician wander around his large music room, readying music sheets he had worked so very long on – and he smoked during it. It was hard to make music over and over again and keep everything original and on a very specific theme. Sad episodes needed sad music, happy episodes needed happy music. And so on, and so on, and so on. Susie respected that. She adored sitting around the lofts in the music room and listening to his work, listening to the band, listening to it all and drinking it all up. She found herself, more or less, watching Sammy. For someone so stiff and bitter all the time, it was pleasantly surprising to watch his movements turn so fluid and so free with his directing. To watch his slender hands sway and curve, he seemed to be dancing and the band followed along before he ever directed them. Despite what Sammy muttered and yelled about, he and the band worked beautifully together. Without him, there was no guide to the music, without the band, there was no music to guide. It delighted Susie to watch the band members and Sammy himself let themselves go to the music they created, themselves. It reminded Susie of watching the animators and seeing their faces contort and emote to what expressions they were drawing, even if they didn’t realize they were doing it. 

Susie had noticed it after Mr. Polk had brought it up, only after Wally had complained about it, only after Sammy himself told Wally to take out the trash again; Sammy was throwing away his lunches. And many of his breakfasts. Sammy wanted the trash bins emptied more, they fill up quickly. Wally complained about the amount of food and rot in the bins. Mr. Polk brought up the observation that he forgets his lunches and throws them away when they go bad, after sitting around for so long, or he just doesn’t bring them in at all. 

It was not a secret that Sammy Lawrence was a skinny guy. His cheeks and eyes were sunken in, his cheeks were always so pale, the joints in his fingers stuck out, his arms were thin and slender. Sammy was a tall man, most tall men were skinny, at least that’s what Sammy argued when Mr. Polk and Susie brought it up to him. It was more out of concern than any. Mr. Polk mentioned Tom and himself were tall, but they had weight and had muscle. Sammy almost looked offended. 

“You’re skin and bones.” Susie continued, leaning on her arms from inside of the recording booth. “I could blow on you and knock you over.” 

“Lay off it, would you?” Sammy huffed as he dropped a paper stack onto a music stand, then adjusted it to a straightened form. “I get stressed, I’m not hungry when I’m stressed, so I don’t eat. You’re making this too big of a deal.” He argued, ignoring another one of Susie’s worried gaze. “It’s spreading across the studio, you know that right? That little animator even came down to see me and give me some muffins he made the night before.” Not wanting to offend someone he hasn’t really talked to before, and never one to deny the temptations of something chocolate, Sammy awkwardly accepted the muffins. “I keep getting pity glances. You know I hate that.”

“I know, I know.” Susie reached out when he got close enough and gently grabbed at his hand to halt his walking. His hands were so cold. Her own were warm. She wrapped her hand around his and pressed her other hand atop it as if to help warm his white-cold fingers. She offered him a smile and he didn’t look up from the papers in his other hand. “You know I’m just worried. You’re like my brother, Sammy.” Was he shaking? Her smile dropped a bit.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m a grown man who knows how to take care of myself.” He defended. 

“That why you keep fainting?” 

They both paused and looked up at the new yet familiar voice. Sammy scowled and pulled his hand away from the woman, and yelled up at the man, “Norman!” The man was leaning forward in his chair, his camera set up beside him, appearing bored with their conversation. Susie wasn’t sure when she saw him come in. He was quiet, it was natural for him. The man sniffled and rubbed a handkerchief under his nose, and above his bushy mustache. Sammy pulled his cigarette from between his own thin lips and blew the greying smoke out from the corner of them. “Are you meant to be in here today?” 

“You’re dodging the question.” Mr. Polk stated, looking down at them as he slowly raised to stand up and lean on the banister. Noting Susie’s confused and worried expression as she glanced between the two, he explained with a gesture to the annoyed musician, “Sammy fainted a few times because of his ‘stress’.” Sammy scowled and waved him off with the hand that held his smoke, then planted it right back between his lips. Norman continued, “It’s been a few hours since he last ate, hasn’t it, Sammy? You’ll probably go down in a few minutes. So you gonna’ say the truth or let her see it?” 

“You can piss right off, you glorified cameraman!” Sammy argued, pointing accusingly at him. “Alright, fine, fine. Sometimes, SOMETIMES, I faint. Happy?” 

“Not at all.” Norman smiled. “You’re still not doing well.” The man straightened himself up and stepped back, and headed down the stairs. Sammy folded his arms across his chest and kept his cigarette out, shaking his head in annoyance. 

“Sammy…” Susie frowned, getting the man’s attention with her hurt tone. His heated glare eased up and softened slightly. “Come here, sweetie.” He didn’t want to, but he stepped over and allowed her to take his hand between both of hers once more. She smiled. “Let’s sneak out for lunch. You and me.” 

“Oh, Susie, we couldn’t.” 

“We can if we’re sneaky.” She giggled, getting an eye roll from the man. She opened her mouth to reply but stopped, she noticed Norman sneaking into the music room, and he smiled. He gave her a sly ‘shh’ hand gesture and she continued after a moment. “Yeah uh, we can.” 

“I don’t know, Susie. Last time we tried…” 

“Well, that was the last time! This is this time.” Susie smiled. Sammy kept his eyes away, but then looked back at her, and looked down with a small smile himself. “Anywhere you like. When was the last time we went to Mick’s on Fifth?” 

“Oh, I love Mick’s on Fifth. We haven’t been there in so long.” His free hand went to his chest, and he tilted his head a bit. 

Norman didn’t need to creep anywhere, he was naturally silent. It was easy for him to accidentally sneak up on people. It was easy now when he was trying. Susie’s smile only grew as the man snuck closer and closer, without a sound, without being noticed. Until Norman’s arms snaked under Sammy’s and easily lifted him upwards. The musician gasped as the papers in his arm went flying above them, then fluttered around them. Of course, he struggled. His long legs went kicking once his feet left the floor, his arms swiping and grabbing at what they could from their forced hold outwards. Norman easily pulled the man into a full nelson, with his hands folded firmly behind Sammy’s neck. The projectionist chuckled as he held the skeleton of a man up and in his hold. 

“Sammy, I’ve been wrestling since middle school. If you think you’re getting out of this…” He warned. Sammy let out an angry yell and attempted – and failed – to get himself free once more. Susie watched with a nervous, surprised chuckle as the other man lifted his arms up just that much higher until Sammy’s arms were nearly straight above him. 

“You bastard! Let me go!” Sammy snapped, lifting his legs up and planting his heels on the windowsill, shoving them backward. Norman stayed standing but stumbled back a bit, he laughed. “I swear to God I will get Jack in here!” 

“See how thin you are?” Norman ignored him. It was rare to see the man be playful, but it was always nice to see. He chuckled and swung Sammy from side to side, making the man’s legs swing. “So easy to lift you around like a stack of paper! My camera weighs more than you!” Susie laughed and pushed herself up to sit on the edge of the half-wall. She turned herself around and hopped off the other side to stand in the music room with them. She reached out and grabbed his sides, giving them a gentle squeeze. She went to make another tease about it but was cut off by a squeak. Norman stopped. Sammy went red. Susie looked up at him. 

“Did… Did you just squeak?” Susie asked quietly. Sammy shook his head quickly, keeping his eyes locked on her. Susie squeezed again and another squeak sounded out. Norman slid one arm around both of Sammy’s to entrap them upwards and free up his hand. With a teasingly spidery hand hovered over his side, Sammy jolted away. 

“Don’t you dare!” Sammy hissed out, it sounded threatening but his little smile gave it away. 

Norman and Susie shared glances, sharing a thought before a glance, and both smiled. Susie’s fingers dug into his sides that curved inwards just a little too uncomfortably so, and Norman’s free hand aided in squeezing just under his ribs on one side. Sammy didn’t have a chance to fight it back; he burst out in laughter that shocked even himself. His arms waved frantically as one of his few releases of ticklish energy. His shoulders and chest shook gently with his laughter. 

“Ooh, it’s like a piano!” Susie cooed, pitter-pattering her fingers up and down his side, trailing up to his ribs, and right back down. “Tickling the ivories, haha!” 

“Sing us a song, Mr. Lawrence~” Norman added with a cheeky smile. 

“St-Staaahahahaaap!” Sammy managed out. 

“Ah, he’s so thin. I can feel his ribs sticking out.” Norman chuckled as his hand slid upwards a bit and wriggled over his ribs. Sammy cried out and his eyes closed tightly, body arching away from his spindly fingers at his ribs. Susie’s long nails crept over his sides and under his ribs. “I wonder how many there are. Help me count them, Susie-Que.” 

Giggling, her hands poked and prodded up his ribs, counting them aloud. Norman’s hand snuck up to under his arm to spider against the soft, warm skin. With both terribly ticklish spots attacked; Sammy responded with a ticklish shriek and shook his head again with loud laughter spilling out from his grinning lips. His arms waved and flailed almost frantically, grasping out at the air, then at Norman’s hair and head only to release a moment after. His knees shook as he tried to back himself up, but his weight eventually gave up and he went slack in the taller man’s hold. Norman chuckled and allowed them both to drop to their knees.

“Oop! There he goes!” Susie giggled out as she watched Norman pull him into his lap, keeping the man’s arms upwards. The woman giggled once more as she sat in front of them and her hands soon found their way right back up to his ribs, causing Sammy to lurch forward with a horrifically loud scream and equally loud laughter to follow. Now on the floor, he was able to actually kick out his legs, and scrape his heels against the wood. Susie scooted forward to simply sit on his thighs, and keep them downwards much to his panic. Norman reached up to wriggle his fingers against his side once more. 

“Oohohohohaamaha!! Oh my GOOAAHAHAHaaahd!? H-Heehehehelp! HAhAHAAAHELP!!” Sammy cackled out, gripping at Norman’s shirt and back of his neck. While he screamed, it was increasingly noticeable how much he didn’t really mean it. “FAAAHAHAHAAK!! HELP-- HEEEHEHEHEELP!!” Norman had another smirk as he squeezed and kneaded into his side. Getting another squeal from the normally quietly musician, was pure music to Norman’s ears. And Susie’s. And to the band members sneakily watching from the recording booth, and even to the people -confused but entertained- hearing it through the walls and ceiling. 

Eventually, Norman released him and allowed the man to fall onto his side and curl up helplessly as best as he could with his legs still trapped under Susie. Norman’s hands easily snuck back under his arms and returned to his sides as Susie squeezed at his hips. Sammy twisted himself onto his belly and his arms clamped down at his sides, his fist beating on the floor a few times to relieve the ticklish energy built up so quickly. Getting another giggle out of Susie, she scooted up to straddle the backs of his thighs. Norman had a grin, inching over to slide his hands under Sammy’s arms and wriggle them into his underarms once more. 

The musician laid there, unable to either help or control himself. It was embarrassing, it was exciting, it was giddy – wait, what? No, no! It was embarrassing! To be squirming around on the floor with his coworkers easily overpowering him with something so childish and immature and… Fun. And… Giggly. When was the last time Sammy actually laughed like this? A real laugh? Not the tired little chuckle he was so used to, or the small air pushed out from his nose at something not really that funny. Dare he admits he was actually having fun like this? He could never live down the embarrassment of ever admitting such a thing, and they would never let him!

With his cheeks and neck and ears a rosy red, and eyes glazed over with tears of mirth, panting and giggling like a mad man; Sammy continued to lay on the floor after Susie and Norman decided the trio had their fill. Susie stayed straddling his thighs, giggling gleefully. Even Norman was amused, smiling enough to peek past under his mustache. 

“Ooh, I, I hahaate you bothhthhahaha…” Sammy mumbled out, his grin turning his words into lies. “I-I’m gonna’, gonna’ report this…” He was cut off by his own squeaking, Norman smiling as he had poked his side. “Fine, fine, fine.” He managed out. The man laid there for a moment longer, still smiling and giggling. 

“You’re too cute, Sammy.” Susie cooed as she crawled off him. Norman and Susie helped the man back up to his feet and he wobbled slightly. “Still up for Mick’s on Fifth?” Sammy, leaning against Norman, replied with a small smile,

“You’re paying.”


End file.
